how about trying to focus your post a bit better, it reads like: "should I have breakfast or dinner, should I get the jellybeans or the foie gras, no maybe I'll get a McChicken it's good isn't it? But I only want to stop at Chez Neu and I'm a vegan so I guess the jellybeans and McChicken are out.

I have a 36" Wolf cooktop and I really like it. Stainless gets scratches but in my opinion that comes with the territory if you have a stainless cooktop and actually use it. You get the first scratch and you freak out like the first ding in a new car. Then you get over it. Stainless does get more smeary than anything I've had before. I clean it with 409 and a miracle cloth and that works well. I'm over having it perfectly clean and smearless all the time - and I'm pretty anal about that kind of thing. I think you have to keep in mind it's an appliance meant to be used - not a pristine showpiece to have on display. I have a 36" VAH inside cabinetry so matching is a non-factor.

I have recently installed a Dacor ER36D range and have had serious problems with the cooktop. The burners worked initially ( 2 days ), but after running a self-clean on the oven, the burners would not work. It has been almost a month and Dacor, the service company and the retailer where I purchased has been unable to resolve the issue. I am at the point where I am going to have to call the credit card company used for payment and demand satisfaction. I tried asking for a new unit to no avail thus far. The oven is electric and still functions and I realize that a self clean should have nothing to do with cooktop function. They tried replacing the regulator ( had to pull the range completely out to get to the back ). I just want to be able to cook my family a nice breakfast on Sunday mornings and have been unable to do so since we started our kitchen remodel in May. I hope Dacor steps up tomorrow ( Monday ) with a quick resolution. 3 Days of work missed to try to get this resolved so far. So much for investing in a quality piece of equipment.

I second looking at the Bosch benchmark. I liked the controls on the Bosch and the Wolf. They both seemed to do a good job recognizing small pots on large burners. I don’t own either but I have tested displays. I really disliked the Thermador Freedom. Reasons are: 1) I had trouble getting controls to react when I pressed them. The gaggenau version was worse. Even the salesmen had trouble. 2) Limited to four pots/pans. Most 36 inch cooktops allow 5. 3) it is not as free as you expect. If I recall, there are limits to how many items you can put on one side. If you turn up the heat on one item, it turns down heat on the other behind your back. Other cooktops have these restrictions also, but they are explicit. Here they are implicit which makes it very confusing whenthings don’t work or you discover 15 minutes later the water you set to boil is only simmering..... I have seen reports of problems with Miele controls but I have not tested them myself. This was several years ago when the 42 inch first came out. I love the idea of a 42 inch induction cooktop but I also think it’s too risky when only one manfacuturer makes one that size. I found the Bosch flexinduction cooktop the most flexible followed by the Wolf. Caveat: I tested these out several years ago. I don’t know what improvements/changes manufacturers have made since then.